No Bake Protein Balls

Change up your healthy snacks with these no bake protein balls. In under 10 minutes you can make these energy bites with a simple recipe that are full of feel-good ingredients and taste incredible! These balls of goodness satisfy afternoon cravings and are perfect for snacking.

I am a sucker for a good treat. But trying to eat healthy limits what I can splurge on. That’s why I made this super easy recipe for protein balls that checked all of my boxes.

Requirements for the best protein balls ever:

• I had to be able to find all the ingredients in my local grocery store. I don’t have time to shop at specialty stores for crazy expensive ingredients that I may only use once or twice. No way. That’s why I loved that all of these ingredients were found in one store.
• It had to be fast.  What’s great is you can make this recipe together in just 10 minutes. I mean, we all have 10 minutes when it comes to good food, right?
• The recipe had to be simple. One bowl, a cookie scoop and a pan – can it get more simple than that? Seriously, I threw all the ingredients into a bowl, scooped them up and let them freeze.  You can’t mess these up if you tried!
• Most of all, they had to taste delicious or I knew I wouldn’t even touch them. 

Wow, was I surprised at how much I loved these bites!  And so did my kids.

They were irresistibly amazing to the point where I had to pack up half of the batch and hide them in the back of my freezer so we wouldn’t eat them all in one day.  Yes, that good.

And they are packed with protein so that my 3:00pm cravings for chocolate were satisfied by these energy bites. I also loved to have them after a workout to give myself a little reward and a burst of energy to get through the rest of the day.

Are protein balls actually good for you?

Yes, especially when they are made at home so you can control what ingredients go into them.  Every bite is packed with protein and healthy fats. They are great when you need a quick energy boost and perfect healthy snacks!

Do I have to use protein powder?

No, you definitely don’t need to add it in.  For this recipe I didn’t use it but I used other ingredients that have protein in it. If you have your favorite protein powder that you would like to use, feel free to add it in and omit the flaxseed.

Ingredients 

This recipe has the most basic ingredients that can be found at any grocery store: oats, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger, pecans, peanut butter and honey. You may even have them all in your pantry right now.

How to Make Protein Balls

These no bake energy bites are so simple to make and only takes 10 minutes to stir together and scoop them out. I like to use my small one inch cookie scooper. They come out perfect every time.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oats, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, and ginger.

Add pecans and coat pecans with dry ingredients.

Add honey and peanut butter.

Mix well. It is going to be sticky. If it is too sticky, put the mixture in the fridge for 5 minutes.

With a small cookie scoop, scoop out the mixture 1 ball at a time and put on a lined cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Once you have all your balls, put them in the freezer for 5 minutes until they harden and are ready to serve.

What if the protein balls are too dry or crumbly?

If you feel like they are too dry when you are scooping them out, add a little water to the peanut butter protein balls mixture. Start with one teaspoon at a time until the mixture is moist enough to form into balls. Just be careful not to add too much liquid.

If you have trouble getting the energy bites to stay together, add in more peanut butter to make the mixture stickier.  That will make it easier to ball the mixture up.

What if it is too sticky?

If they are too sticky, put the mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes so you can easily roll it into balls. It is worth the extra time if they are super sticky.

I also use my hands with a bit of water on them to form the snack bites and to prevent stickage.

Can I make them into protein bars?

Yes, press the mixture into a square baking dish to make flat energy bars instead of round protein balls.  Wrap individually for a quick to-go snack.

How long can you keep them?

They store well in the fridge for one week. I like to use reusable bags to store them —> here are some of my favorites.

If you store them in the freezer, the peanut butter bites should last up to 3 months but they are so good that I doubt they will last that long!  At my house we go through a batch every couple weeks. They are great for breakfasts, after school healthy snacks or really anytime!

How can I customize these energy bites?

Try adding in:

• Chia seeds
• Protein powder
• Finely chopped nuts
• Chopped dried fruit
• Cinnamon
• Shredded coconut
• Mini chocolate chips

You could also use an alternate kind of nut butter instead of the peanut butter. 

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes 

Making balls. When I form the balls, I put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet because when you put them in the freezer, they will be much easier to take off the sheet to transfer to a close.

Flaxseed Meal. If you cannot find flaxseed meal, but you have flaxseed it’s ok. Just grind them in an herb grinder or I often use my Ninja individual blender.

Measuring Honey. Spray the measuring cup with cooking spray before adding the honey. When you pour it into the mixture, the honey will slide right out.

Related Recipes 

1. Blueberry Keto Chaffles
2. White Bean and Kale Vegan Freezer Meal
3. 15-Minute Quinoa Burrito Bowls
4. Easy Homemade Healthy Popsicles
5. 41 Healthy Freezer Crockpot Meals You’ll Love

If you make these protein balls, I would love to see them! Snap a picture of it and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #happymoneysaver and tagging me @happymoneysaver.